Sacramento A’s slugger Tyler Soderstrom (21) slugs his fifth home run of the season in the top of the first inning against the Chicago White Sox at Guarantee Rate Field in Chicago on Tue Apr 15, 2025 (AP News photo)

Soderstrom Sparks the Green and Gold in Statement Win

By Mauricio Segura

On a chilly Tuesday evening at Rate Field, the Sacramento A’s bats brought the heat and then some. Tyler Soderstrom launched not one but two three-run homers as part of a 12-3 demolition of the Chicago White Sox, a win that gave the green and gold some much needed momentum to kick off their road trip. For Soderstrom it was home runs five and six of the season.

For a club that had been sluggish at the plate recently, with just one home run over their last four games, the power surge was both timely and emphatic. Soderstrom, now tied for the Major League lead with eight homers, continued his breakout campaign and showed why he’s become a fixture in the heart of the Athletics lineup.

The night began with a bang. Lawrence Butler and Brent Rooker set the table with back to back singles, and Soderstrom cleared them with a laser into right center. Just like that, it was three to zero.

But Chicago answered quickly. In the bottom of the first, Andrew Vaughn returned fire with a three-run homer of his own, tying the game and reminding everyone why no early lead is ever safe.

It didn’t stay tied for long. In the second, Gio Urshela delivered an RBI double, and in the third, Shea Langeliers added a solo homer, his fourth of the season, reclaiming a two-run cushion. Langeliers later doubled in another run in the ninth, finishing the game with three hits and two runs batted in.

Jeffrey Springs, who entered the game with a 4.20 ERA, held strong after the rocky first. He escaped a bases loaded jam in the third and worked through five innings without allowing another run. For a staff that had surrendered the fourth highest ERA in the majors coming into the night, Springs’ rebound effort was a stabilizing force.

The sixth inning is where things unraveled for Chicago. Max Muncy doubled, Butler knocked him in with a single, and Rooker followed with another base hit. That set the stage for Soderstrom’s second three-run blast, a majestic shot to right that silenced the home crowd and put the game out of reach at nine to three.

Offensively, nearly everyone chipped in. Butler reached base four times and drove in a run, and Rooker added two hits. Even Miguel Andujar, who entered the night hitless in his last four at bats, capped things off with a sacrifice fly in the ninth. The A’s collected 14 hits in total, their highest mark since April 8.

From a statistical perspective, this performance defied recent trends. The A’s came in with the second worst run differential in the majors and had grounded into the most double plays. But Tuesday night, the swings were clean, the timing was sharp, and the results were undeniable.

The bullpen held steady, with Justin Sterner and Mitch Spence combining for four shutout innings. Spence, who had allowed three runs or more in each of his last four outings, was effective in closing down the seventh and eighth.

Tuesday, right hander Osvaldo Bido takes the mound as the A’s look to build on what might be a turning point in this young season. But for now, on a cool Chicago night, the green and gold found some warmth in the swing of Soderstrom’s bat and a comfortable win.

Costa Rican-born Mauricio Segura has been covering sports in the Bay Area since 2001 for a variety of magazines and newspapers, as well as his own publication, Golden Bay Times.